Beer fests are back (knock on wood)! After two years of cancellations, postponements, limited capacity events, and worse… the dreaded virtual fest, we are entering 2022 cautiously optimistic about the year ahead. With hopes of herd immunity coming sooner rather than later, we’ve got our fingers crossed that beer festivals are all returning to normal soon.

While most beer festivals are still taking extra precautions for this year’s events, several of them have already begun announcing dates. To help you keep track of the best and brightest beer festivals to mark on your calendars, we’ll be continuously updating our list of the best can’t miss beer festivals for 2022. Be sure to bookmark this page as we’ll be adding and updating this list throughout the year.

• SF Beer Week – San Francisco, CA – February 11

The Bay Area comes alive with a full week of programming including five kick-off events, a Double IPA Festival, Firkin Fest, and a multitude of special releases and tapping from SF’s best.

• Winter Beer Dabbler – St. Paul, MN – February 19: The largest outdoor winter beer festival in the U.S with over 130 breweries, wineries, and cideries. Tickets on sale now, GA $55.
• Michigan Brewer’s Guild Winter Festival – Comstock Park, MI – February 26
• Juicestock – Atlanta, GA – March 26 – SOLD OUT
• The BEER Event – Charlotte, NC – March 26: A unique festival highlighting eco-friendly breweries and giving insight as to what green practices they use in their brewing processes.
• Collaboration Fest – Denver, CO – April 2

After a two-year hiatus, the country’s largest festival featuring exclusively collaboration beers returns to Denver. Hosted by the Colorado Brewers Guild, Collab Fest will feature collaboration beers from over 100 breweries locally and nationally.

• 302 Beer Drinkers’ Choice Awards – Lewes, DE – April 3: A competition and festival hosted by Crooked Hammock Brewery. Every single brewery in the state of Delaware is expected to participate. Tickets are on sale now, $39
• Side Project Invitational – St. Louis, MO – April 9

Quickly becoming one of the country’s preeminent festivals focused around oak-aged beers, this year’s Side Project Invitational will feature another massive list of participants including the likes of Anchorage, American Solera, Forager, Holy Mountain, Jester King, Keeping Together, Moksa, Phase Three, Sante Adairius and many more.

• WakeFest from J. Wakefield Brewing – Miami, FL – April 9
• Little Beer Fest from Good Word Brewing – Duluth, GA – April 9
• Minnesota Craft Beer Festival – Minneapolis, MN – April 9

Organized by Beer & Brewing Magazine the Minnesota Craft Beer Festival has grown to become one of the biggest and brightest beer festivals in the Midwest. This year’s event will feature over 130 breweries pouring over 500 beers.

• Beers With(out) Beards from Hop Culture – Portland, ME – April 9

Hosted by Hop Culture, Beers With(out) Beards has become one of the most impactful beer festivals in the country celebrating women’s achievements in beer. Over the past four years, the event has highlighted over 60 women-led breweries and this year’s event will include over 35 breweries that are either women-owned or owned by femme-identifying people, or that have women or femme-identifying people in prominent leadership positions.

• Quintessence from Cantillon – Belgium – April 18

Cantillon, one of the legendary beer producers of the world, opens the doors to their Willy Wonka chocolate factory of old-world beers once again. This celebration of spontaneously fermented beer often features a blending session with another world-class brewery as well as incredible culinary pairings throughout the day.

• Irie Jungle Craft Beer Festival from Tripping Animals Brewing – Doral, FL – April 23

The folks behind Tripping Animals Brewing are taking beer fests to the next level with a multi-sensory event with immersive art installations, culinary pop-ups, special musical performances, and of course over 60 of the country’s most vaunted breweries including the likes of Aslin, Cerebral, Civil Society, Equilibrium, Fidens, Finback, Moksa, Other Half, Outer Range, Vitamin Sea, and WeldWerks to name a few.

• Propagation from Crooked Run Fermentation – Sterling, VA – April 23: The focus is on mixed fermentation beers, wines, and ciders, as well as lagers and traditional styles
• Death and Taxes Day Festival from Taxman Brewing Company – Bargersville, IN – April 23: 40+ Indiana breweries. Tickets on sale now, GA $50.
• SweetWater 420 Fest – Atlanta, GA – April 29 – May 1
• Craft Brewers Conference – Minneapolis, MN – May 2 – May 5

As if brewers ever needed another reason to convene and drink each other’s beers. However each year the Brewers Association hosts an industry-facing conference aimed to provide networking opportunities, professional development seminars as well as a trade show. This year’s CBC will also feature the bi-annual World Beer Cup awards. And while this is an industry event, CBC always brings about loads of external events which are public-facing.

• North Carolina Brewers & Music Festival – Huntersville, NC – May 6 & 7
• Michigan Brewer’s Guild Spring Beer Festival – Traverse City, MI – May 7
• Best Brunch Ever from Fueled by Hops – Pittsburgh, PA – May 14

Our friends at Fueled by Hops have proven their mettle as they’ve begun hosting a number of popular events in the Pittsburgh area, and their latest is likely to be a sell-out hit as well. Focused on brunch-inspired beers, Best Brunch Ever will feature over 20 breweries as well as several collabs with local brunch spots… and of course… there will be bacon!

• Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival – Paso Robles, CA – June 4

Over the years, the Firestone Walker Invitational has grown to become one of the most highly regarded invitational festivals in the country with breweries hand-selected by Matt Brynildson himself. In addition to a world-class lineup of breweries, FSW busts out their own rarities showing off special collaborations as well as their most innovative and experimental beers yet.

• Nucleate Beer Festival from HOMES Brewery – Ann Arbor, MI – June 4

While Nucleate is one of the younger beer festivals on this list, having only been around since 2018, it’s already built a reputation for attracting some of the best breweries in the country and for good reason. HOMES Brewery has quickly become a darling of the Midwest and in turn, has been able to assemble like-minded breweries to show off their best in the Mitten.

• Iowa Craft Brew Festival – Des Moines, IA – June 4
• Vail Craft Beer Classic – Vail, CO – June 18
• Green City from Other Half Brewing – New York City, NY – June 18
• SAVOR – Washington DC – June 24
• WeldWerks Invitational – Greeley, CO – Saturday, June 25
• Good Vibes Beer Fest from Voodoo Brewery – Meadville, PA – July
• Pride Dabbler Fest – St. Paul, MN – July
• Michigan Brewer’s Guild Summer Festival – Ypsilanti, MI – July 22 – July 23
• Oregon Brewers Festival – Portland, OR – July 28 – July 30
• Altered States from Eighth State Brewing – Greenville, SC – July 30
• Great Taste of the Midwest – Madison, WI – August 13
• Barrel & Flow Fest – Pittsburgh, PA – August 13
• Summer Beer Dabbler – St. Paul, MN – August
• Michigan Brewer’s Guild U.P. Beer Festival – Marquette, MI – September 10
• Telluride Blues & Brews – Telluride, CO – September 16- September 18
• Brownie Bash from Pontoon Brewing – Sandy Springs, GA – September 24
• Zwanze Day from Cantillon – Multiple Locations – September
• 450 North Corn Maze Beer Fest – Columbus, IN – October 1: 90 breweries in an 11 acre corn maze
• Great American Beer Festival – Denver, CO – October 6 – October 8
• The Barrel Culture Invitational – Durham, NC – October 15
• Texas Craft Brewers Fest – Austin, TX – October
• Snallygaster – Washington DC – October 8
• Burnpile Harvest Fest from Burial Beer Co – Asheville, NC – October
• Pastrytown from Other Half Brewing – New York City, NY – November
• Festival of Barrel-Aged Beers – Chicago, IL – November

Planning a fest and don’t see it on this list? Reach out to Alexis at [email protected] to get it added!

Additionally for a full rundown of beer festivals happening around the country, be sure to check out our friends at BeerFests.com

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